Department for Culture Media and Sport

Telecommunications

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether implementation of gaining-provider led switching for broadband and fixed telephony has been completed.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Holding answer received on 23 June 2015



The implementation has been completed under rules introduced by Ofcom on 20 June, a gainer-provider led process for switching broadband and/or fixed telephony services provided over the Openreach and KCOM (Hull area) copper networks is in place.

Direct Selling

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on preventing unwanted and nuisance telephone calls.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Substantial progress has been made to tackle nuisance calls. This has included ensuring improved information & signposting for consumers wanting to report nuisance calls. In addition we have increase powers for the regulators. Ofcom’s monetary penalty powers increased from £50,000 to £2 million in September 2010. In July 2011, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was equipped with a new monetary penalty power of £500,000. Previously this was £5,000. In July 2014, Ofcom was empowered to share relevant information with the ICO that it acquired about companies breaching the regulations. And more recently, the legal threshold was lowered for the ICO on 6 April 2015, making it easier for them to take enforcement action, including issuing monetary penalties.  The Government is continuing to work to ensure protection of consumers from unwanted and nuisance calls.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Trade Unions

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings his Department has had with trades unions in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This response covers the period 1 August 2014 – 14 July 2015. A list of the meeting dates are provided below:· 28 August 2014· 4 September 2014· 11 September 2014· 2 October 2014· 27 October 2014· 27 November 2014· 11 December 2014· 7 January 2015· 22 January 2015· 19 February 2015· 19 March 2015· 16 April 2015· 13 May 2015· 11 June 2015· 1 July 2015· 7 July 2015· 9 July 2015

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Swimming: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of (a) children and (b) adults in Cumbria who swim.

Tracey Crouch: The Government, through Sport England is investing £20 million in the Amateur Swimming Association and other partners between 2013-17 to get more people swimming in England.Sport England also invests in facilities such as pools and changing rooms, including £388,797 in four such projects in Cumbria since 2012.The Government has provided over £300m of cross-government ring-fenced funding for academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15, to improve PE and sport. This is the only curriculum subject with ring-fenced funding.  In the new national curriculum, which came into force from September 2014, swimming and water safety remain compulsory in the programme of study for physical education (PE) at primary level.

Government Art Collection

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the value of the Government Art Collection.

Mr Edward Vaizey: It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the value of the Government Art Collection or individual works, neither of which have a current market valuation. The current monetary value of a work of art can be accurately assessed only at the time of purchase or sale or by professional valuation. In the former case, the Collection is not actively traded; in the latter, it would not be justifiable expenditure of public funds to have the whole Collection valued professionally.

Betting Shops: Gaming Machines

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many incidents at betting shops relating to fixed-odds betting terminals police officers have attended in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission is responsible for collecting crime data for betting premises. However, these figures do not identify the reasons for police call-outs or relate them to particular products offered on the premises.

World War I: Anniversaries

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further steps his Department is taking to commemorate the First World War centenary leading up to 2018.

Tracey Crouch: A national commemorative event will be held on 31 May 2016 to mark the Battle of Jutland and the wider war at sea. There will be a national commemorative event to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France on 1 July 2016. The Government is working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on a £1.6m refurbishment of the Monument to ensure that it endures for future generations and on a lighting installation that will see the Monument lit from 1 July 2016. In addition we are working with partners to encourage Somme commemorative activity across the UK. There will also be national events to commemorate the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 2017 and the end of the conflict in 2018. In addition Government will continue with established programmes for the conservation, repair and protection of War Memorials; the Cathedral Repairs Fund; Schools Battlefield Tours; and the laying of commemorative paving stones and the restoration of graves of Victoria Cross recipients buried in the UK. The poppies sculptures 'Wave' and 'Weeping Window' will go to locations throughout the UK starting with the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Woodhorn Museum and Northumberland Archives, and St George's Hall, Liverpool. There will be a series of school debates beginning next year to look at the causes, conduct and consequences of the War.  We encourage local communities to get involved in commemorating First World War events. Heritage Lottery Fund has recently made available an extra £4m for communities to explore, conserve and share local heritage of the First World War to ensure that these projects can continue throughout the centenary period.